LAWRENCE, Kan. (Interstat) — Cord Rager pitched six hitless innings and the Oklahoma Sooners backed him with a four-run fourth inning Saturday, cruising to an 8-1 victory over Kansas at Hoglund Ballpark.

Rager, a right-hander, struck out six and walked none in his 6.0 innings of work, lowering his season ERA to 2.97. It was a sharp rebound from his previous start May 30 against Citadel, when he allowed seven hits and three earned runs in a six-inning win. On Saturday, he faced 19 Jayhawks batters and allowed only one base runner — a hit-by-pitch to Kansas center fielder Tyson Owens in the first inning. Rager induced two groundouts and a strikeout to escape that inning, and from there retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced, with the lone exception a two-out error by third baseman Camden Johnson in the second.

LJ Mercurius relieved Rager in the seventh and allowed one run on two hits over three innings, striking out three.

Oklahoma (37-22) took control in the top of the fourth against Kansas starter Dominic Voegele. With one out, Jaxon Willits singled to right and Trey Gambill singled through the left side. Brendan Brock then reached on a fielding error by shortstop Tyson LeBlanc, loading the bases. Designated hitter Dasan Harris followed with a fielder’s choice grounder that scored Willits, with Gambill advancing to third and Brock out at second.

First baseman Dayton Tockey then launched a three-run home run to left-center field, his seventh of the season, scoring Gambill and Harris to make it 4-0. All three runs were unearned after the error allowed the inning to continue.

Oklahoma added two more runs in the fifth. Catcher Jason Walk doubled to deep center field and stole third. Johnson followed with a two-run home run to right, his ninth of the year, scoring Walk and stretching the lead to 6-0.

Gambill made it 7-0 in the same inning, leading off with a home run to deep center, also his ninth. Voegele was pulled after 4.2 innings, charged with three earned runs on seven hits while striking out three.

Oklahoma tacked on another run in the seventh. Deiten Lachance singled, moved to second on a walk to Gambill and scored on Brock’s single to center off reliever Manning West. West allowed three hits and one earned run in two innings.

Kansas broke up the shutout in the eighth. With one out, right fielder Jordan Bach hit a solo home run to right-center, his eighth, off Mercurius. The Jayhawks loaded the bases in the ninth on singles by Owens and Augusto Mungarrieta and a fielder’s choice, but Mercurius induced a groundout to second from Brady Ballinger to end the game.

Oklahoma collected 11 hits, led by Gambill’s two-hit, one-homer, one-RBI day and Tockey’s homer and three RBIs. Kansas managed just four hits in the game — singles by Mungarrieta, Owens and Bach’s homer, plus a single in the ninth by Owens.

Kansas dropped to 45-17 on the season. The Jayhawks had won three straight entering the game, including a series win at Arkansas on May 31. Kansas was without its usual midweek momentum after being picked as the pregame favorite by spread of minus-1.5. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kansas 7, Oklahoma 6, and Interstat’s ELO system had given Oklahoma a 52.00 percent probability to win. The Sooners, coming off a 15-5 win at Citadel on May 31, evened their recent stretch after dropping a 9-3 decision at Georgia Tech on May 30.